This application is has subject matter in common with the inventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/117,227, filed on May 30, 2011, and entitled “Universal module of USB-unit or Outlet-units for electric or digital data device(s).”
This application also has subject matter in common with the inventor's U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/502,661, 12/292,580, 12/566,322, 11/498,874, 11/527,629, 12/622,000, 12/624,621, which disclose a sealed-unit with uniform dimensions and shape to fit into the same uniformly dimensioned compartment so that the universal sealed-unit can fit into a variety of LED light devices. The sealed unit(s) disclosed in these applications share the following features:    a. The sealed-unit(s) has uniform dimensions to fit into the uniform compartment of any kind of LED light device.    b. The sealed-unit(s) has passed all related safety standards and received a laboratory's safety certification so that it can be used with other LED light device's parts and accessories which may or may not meet the safety standard passed by the said sealed-unit(s).    c. The sealed-unit(s) can be any individually salable unit because it has passed all related safety requirements and standards. The other parts or accessories may or may not be just decorative or have other functions to make the LED light device more valuable.
The current invention utilizes the sealed-unit concept in the following manner:
(1) The current invention utilizes the concept disclosed in the above-cited applications of providing a sealed-unit that has passed all the relevant safety standards, but applies the concept to other electric device(s) which are not limited to an LED light device. The concept may be applied to an LED light device, power strip device, wall outlet device, surge protection device, wall adaptor device, charging device(s), smart phone related device(s), computer related device(s), and other consumer electric device(s).(2) The sealed-unit may be in the form of a USB-unit or outlet-unit rather than the previously disclosed LED-unit, battery-pack, or prong-means.(3) The USB-unit or outlet-unit both may be arranged to supply power from these units to a variety of electric devices to keep the electric device(s) in good power condition for people to use.(4) The USB-unit or outlet-unit may each include its own related circuit-means, conductive-means, contact-means, receiving-means, output-ends, input-ends, electric parts and accessories to supply electric power from a prong-cable means or USB-cable means to a receiving-means for supplying power to a variety of electric device(s).(5) The current invention offers a universal design for the USB-unit or outlet-unit with the most compact size to enable each of the USB-unit and outlet-unit or any combination of USB-units and/or outlet-units to form a desired module that fits into all kinds of electric device(s), including an LED light device, wall outlet, wall outlet adaptor, power strips, surge protector, communication device, computer device, consumer electric device, smart phone device, panel computer device, etc.(6) Once the USB-unit or outlet-unit has passed all related safety standards and has its own issued certification, the finished electric device in which it is used does not need to get an additional safety certification related to USB-units or outlet-units.(7) The modules of the current invention can utilize any combination of suitable USB-unit or outlet-unit parts, such as a conductive wire, conductive plate, conductive means, contact-means, prong-cable means, USB-cable means, prong-means, resilient conductive means, printed circuit means, flexible circuit means, related electric parts and accessories, fixing means, positioning means, and/or installation means to enable the module, outlet-unit, or USB-unit to pass the safety standard and get the relevant safety certification and be added onto another electric device.(8) The module of the current invention may have different specifications, such as:1 USB-unit with 1 USB-port,1 USB-unit with 2 USB-ports+1 outlet-unit,1 USB-unit with 2 USB-ports+2 outlet-units,1 outlet-unit.orany combination of USB-units and outlet-units that still permits a standard module to fit into different electric device(s) as needed.(9) The module can also have the following different specifications:2 USB ports having different current outputs including 500 ma, 1 Amp, 1.1 Amp, and/or 2.2 Amps to enable the 2 USB-ports to charge different electric devices such as an iPhone™, which needs to have 1 Amp, and an iPad™, which requires 2.1 Amps. If people want to charge 1 iPhone™+1 iPad™ at the same time, at least 3.1 Amps will be needed, which will be very expensive. If people want to charge the 1 iPhone™ or 1 iPad™ at different times, the standard module can be 1 port 1 Amp+1 port 1.1 Amp=2.1 Amps total, and the cost will be cheaper. If people want to charge only 1 iPhone™, only need 1 USB-unit with 1 port which has only 1 Amp is needed for the most economical product. Hence, the module of the invention should not be limited to only one specification.(10) Because the standard module, outlet-unit or USB-unit is a sealed-unit that has its own issued safety certification and that can fit into the uniform compartment of any other electric device, there is no need to file, for each different electric devices, a UL, ETL, or CSA safety certification, which saves a lot of time for tooling, development, and safety testing for each different electric device. This will reduce a lot of R&D, development, tooling, safety certification time and fees.
The copending application entitled “Universal module of USB-unit or Outlet-unit for electric or digital data device,” U.S. Ser. No. 13/117,227, discloses a simple arrangement for enabling “Desk Top items with LED means having USB-unit(s) or USB-module(s) to charge a variety of electric or digital data device(s),” which does not require a universal module because some of the desk top items with LED means have plenty of room/space to accommodate a larger size of USB-unit(s) or USB-module(s) and reduce the cost for related electric components, parts, or accessories to make the items more cost attractive to the consumer. The USB-unit(s) is an electric charging unit which has a USB-female receiving means to receive a USB-male prong to deliver electric power from the USB-female receiving means to the other device's USB-male prong. The preferred USB-female receiving means gets power from a power source and uses circuit means to convert the electric power to a desired waveform, voltage, and current flow or amperage (A or ma) to enable the USB-male means to supply power to other electric or digital device(s).
The USB-module(s) described in the copending application is an electric charging module which has at least one USB-female receiving means but also has a number of receiving means selected from an outlet-female receiving means, USB-female receiving means, an adaptor's female receiving means, or any conventional female receiving means to form a single body which has more than one USB-female receiving means to offer the same or different electric power though the different female receiving means within the one body. The USB-module connects with a power source and circuit-means to offer a desired waveform, voltage, and current (A or ma) to charge other device(s) when the female receiving means is connected with the male prong means of each style of the connect-means.
To enable people to easily reach, touch, operate, or manage the desk top items, the USB-unit(s) or USB-module(s) are installed on or within the item or a substrate(s). The items may be positioned at a location where people will stay for a period of time, such as a desk, table, bed, chair, land, grass, or wherever else people work, rest, or take a nap. For example, people use a computer, laptop computer, iPhone™, iPad™, or iCloud™ on a substrate(s), location, or place such as a table, desk, bed, laptop stand, laptop supporter, laptop cushion or any similar surface(s) which allows people to work, sleep, or lay down for a period of time while charging other electric or digital data device(s).
In all such places where people will stay for period of time, the nearby desk top items with LED means and built-in USB-units easily offer electric power to all other electric or digital data device(s), so people do not need to bend the body to find a power source under the table, which normally is farther away than the desk top items having LED means. Hence, this arrangement offers good convenience for people while they work, rest, or even take a nap, so that they can easily use the USB-unit(s) or USB-module of the desk top items with LED means to charge their small phone, computer, iPad™, or any other electric or digital data device(s) while they work, rest, sleep or take a nap.
It is desirable for the universal module of the USB-unit(s) or outlet-unit(s) described in the copending application to be made as small as possible so that it can fit into as many applications' limited housing size as possible and therefore really meet the goal of universal applicability. On the other hand, the smallest, slimmest, or most compact size of the USB-unit(s), outlet-unit(s), or USB-module is too expensive. For example, the APPLE™ iPhone™'s or iPad™'s USB-unit, which is very small in size, needs to use a very high cost compact transformer or inverter with super big power output in order to achieve a very short time to fully charge the other electric or digital data device(s). This problem can be resolved if, in order to get the USB-3.0 standard 2.1 amp output from the USB-unit(s), the size of some electric components, parts, or accessories such as transformer or inverter, or other same-function electric parts, or accessories can be increased by placing it in a desk top item with sufficient space, thereby obtaining the same big power output at a substantially lower cost to let the consumer save pocket money. Suitable desk top items to which a universal module, USB-unit, or outlet-unit can be added include a desk lamp, desk top clock, desk top radio, desk top fan, desk top lighting, reading light, wall reading light, head lighting, book light, electric picture display, night light with AC to DC power source or adaptor with prong and wire means, projection light with AC to DC power source or adaptors with prong and wire means, electric candle set with AC to DC power source or adaptors with prong and wire means, or any LED device that can serve as a desk top item as described herein and that can accommodate a USB-unit or USB-ports designed only for charging purposes rather than delivery of digital data. The desk top items can provide function(s), performance, and effects(s) including, by way of example, generation of light beams and projection of images such as time images, as well as serving as a source of illumination, music, power, electric signals, photos, and digital signals for sound, light, music, smell or any conventional market-available devices that people will keep on for a period of time sufficient to also enable charging of other electric or digital data device(s).